Original post by Gunny_HankSorry I'm not a student I'm actually a Grandfather. I was looking on the internet for people who have the same symptoms I have had my whole life, and always being told it's your imagination! here take this pill or that pill, never really finding complete relief. So here is what I believe happened with me, I was thinking about writing a whole book from when I believe my life changed up to the present. I’ll start my story at the time I believe all my troubles started. It was 1957 I was 7 years old, I met a girl in my elementary school class who sat next to me, and her name was Nancy F. I think the 1st time I really started liking her was a day when we had a bomb drill. In 1957 we were always told that bombs could be dropped on us at any time, so in school we would have bomb drills. We would all go into the hallways against the walls and duck down and cover our heads. This day Nancy was beside me and I think she was really scared; we all were but this day she took my hand and squeezed it tight until the drill was over. After that day we became inseparable and she was my 1st girlfriend. We were always together in school or out. We would do the normal things little kids who liked each other would do, like you know kiss and things. Of course we were curious about each other and explored things I won’t mention but you can use your imagination. We seemed more like adults than 7 year olds. One day we went to the penny store and bought 2 penny friendship rings and went to my house and my 10 year old Sister Sandra performed a wedding ceremony, so after that we were just like the grownups, married. So we figured we could do all the things married grownups do “Again use your imagination” We even built a little house with brush we gathered and made it like a little igloo with a little entrance just big enough for us to fit into. We went there when we wanted to be alone so we could kiss and things. It was that way all summer. Then it was time to go back to school. One Sunday I with some of my guy friends going to play baseball and Nancy showed up across the street and wanted to go to our little house, I said I was going to go play ball with the guys and I would see her later, she looked sad and said OK. "I never did see her that Sunday" I have never forgotten the look on her face that day for all these years. Back to school the next day so I thought I would see her then. I was sitting in my seat but Nancy was not there sitting next to me. Then the teacher said class I have some sad news one of your classmates Nancy F has passed away. I sat there for a moment kind of in shock not believing what I had just heard. It couldn’t be true I just saw her the day before. I jumped up ran out of the school ran all the way home and told my mom that Nancy had died she said Punk “a nickname my Mom gave me” you should not say things like that. I told her the teacher told us, so she called Nancy’s mom on the phone and it was true, Nancy died Sunday night. She had Leukemia which none of us knew. Kids started talking about what happens to you if you have leukemia how blood will come out of your eyes your nose your ears and your mouth and then you die. You have to remember I was 7 years old it was 1957 so kids must have heard that somewhere, there was no internet to look it up so you just believed it. They also said you could catch it like a cold if you kissed someone that had it. So I was terrified that I was going to catch it and die too. My Mom assured me that you could not catch it, but try to convince a 7 year old. Then there was a viewing. At 7 years old I didn’t even know what that was but my Mom made me go. There was Nancy at the front of the room lying in what looked like a little bed. I sat in the chair just staring at her then her dad said you better go up and say goodbye to her you will never see her again. I didn’t want to go up but was pretty much forced to. When I got up close to her it looked like she was just sleeping and I could swear I saw her breathing. Needless to say it was very scary for a 7 year old. I asked my mom what they were going to do with her now? She said they will take her to the cemetery and bury her. I said I don’t want to go there I want to go home. Thankfully she didn’t make me go. I started having problems right away. I would have nightmares about being buried and seeing Nancy lying next to me. I would wake up screaming, my Mom would come and say it was just a bad dream a nightmare, but what 7 year old really understands what a nightmare is, it seemed so real. Every time I had a nosebleed I thought I was going to die. Then one day not too long after Nancy died, I went to the bathroom and started peeing blood. I panicked and thought I was having one of those bad dreams again, but I was awake. I had to show my mom, it was still coming out blood. In my head I thought they lied to me about not catching leukemia by just kissing so I thought for sure I had it. I had to go to a hospital far enough away that no one could visit. I was there for a week never seeing any family. This was back in 1957, we did not have a car we were poor so there was no way anyone could come visit, we didn't even have a phone back then. The Dr.'s were doing all kinds of tests on me everyday, but when I asked what they were doing they wouldn't tell me, I would not have understood anyhow at 7 years old. Well after a week I finally got to go home, the bleeding had stopped. They said they thought the bleeding came from a kick to my stomach a week earlier by my Sister by accident while we were all playing. But I still didn't believe that story. I will stop here, before I write a whole book from 1957 to the present. 67 and I'm still here but trust me I have been through ALL the feelings/symptoms everyone talks about going through. The advice I would give all of you is stop worrying just live your life to the fullest everyday think of good things always positive, or you may wake up someday an old man or old woman and regret all the worrying and grief you put yourself through for nothing "wasted years". Don't even think about dying, we ALL die some day, just enjoy everyday!! Maybe I will write a book and fill in how this has affected my whole life and the things I went through all because of this experience. Strange things have happened in my 67 years, I will tell you one, The girl I ended up marrying her name is you guessed it Nancy. Gunny_Hank